Description

This is a great practice trad route!!! If you are just learning to place gear and want a cool route to get on and sew up with bomber gear, then you must do this climb.... It takes nuts cams and tricams very well and is more fun than most other super moderate trad routes....

Start by scrambling up to a stance on a cracked ledge.... Place a couple pieces and head up the crack system.... There are a bunch of cracks to choose from. Follow the path of least resistance. As the angle eases up the cracks are fewer and some friction is helpful....

A good toprope for beginners....

Location

Look for the multi-cracked face to slab as you approach the crow's nest.... It used to be the first route you come to, but there are a few routes right of it now.... PeeWee's is just right of the newly added bolted chimney climb....

Protection

Trad gear up to #1 or #2 cam...takes nuts really well...2 fat glue-in bolt anchor (rap rather than lower if there are no rings or quicklinks to save wear on the bolts pls)

Great practice trad climb! My friend did this for his second trad lead ever and he really enjoyed it. Its good to have a new trad climber lead this and have someone who knows placements follow it and check the gear placements.

Good climb -- but it should be longer to justify hauling a trad rack up that far. The first 15 feet seemed kind of strenuous for 5.4 -- and it seemed to me the protection possibilities thru that section were pretty flaring, so I just climbed thru it. The landing below there was very slopy, so could take quite a tumble down the hill if actually fell - (good reason to remember to anchor the belayer, also). Placing stoppers in the cracks for say the next 10 feet above that seemed kind of "fiddly" to me -- glad I brought camalots+friends. Then in the upper half I started to get good stopper placements. I didn't find need for anything larger than #2 camalot or a normal range of stoppers.

So I'd say it's a good practice trad lead only for someone who's already climbing strong well above 5.4, so they're sure they're not going to fall in that first section.

This was the scene of a mini-epic for me and my climbing partner. The climb itself went smoothly and easily... until we decided to continue upwards in search of a walk-off rather than abandon gear for the rappel. What followed was the dirtiest mixed scramble/climb pitch up a mossy, spider infested gully in which I placed exactly two nuts in almost 120 vertical feet, followed by an hour-long bushwhack down to the base of Crow's Nest.

Ah, there is a pair of big fat glue-ins for an anchor, hopefully still with pairs of 1/2" quicklinks on each. I am not sure how you could have missed them unless you were quite off route. At least you had an adventure!

Mark, just wanted to give you the heads up that these anchors are currently just glue-in bolts with no rings or links. I noticed that this was discussed two years ago and am not sure if they were replaced then lost again or if it just never happened. I'm sure there's many more important things to do at Rumney for you but I figured I'd mention it just in case you wanted to get around to it. I saw lots of beginners jump on this today so it's probably for the best to have rings. Thanks for all you do!!